Can Ao Dai (traditional costume) be worn only by women?

CULTURAL discipline

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Áo dài (Ao dai) is the iconic traditional costume of Vietnamese people. Ao dai has evolved over hundreds of years, shifting from regal to practical, modest to high fashion and its presence continues to this day. The graceful lines of the Vietnamese ao dai are admired by people of all ages, and they look good on both women (and men!!).

Historically, Vietnamese people have fought against foreign invasion to preserve the longevity and significance of our distinct cultural traditions, values, and customs. The Ao Dai is a beautiful combination of mainly two cultures, the Oriental (Chinese) and the West (French). As a symbol of cultural integration, resilience, and a representation of the beauty of Vietnamese women, ao dai has long been considered the "national dress" and "national soul of Vietnamese women".

I have personally always been mesmerized by the beauty of ao dai: how it flows whenever the wearer walks past, how it often includes intricate details that created beautiful images of nature, and how it accentuates the figures of its owner.

However, as much as I thought I could see through everything about ao dai, I didn't know one fundamental thing: that ao dai were uni-sex! I had always had the preconception that ao dai were to be worn by girls and women only. This is probably because as a child, I had never seen any men wearing ao dai. Especially during my time overseas, I didn't get to "interact" much with ao dai as we would only bring out our ao during dnational day or UN day at school. With the limited packing space, we couldn't bring all of Vietnam to Uzbekistan with us: only my sister and I were allowed to bring our ao dais to the foreign land as a token of our Vietnamese identity.

Me and my Vietnamese "sisters" proudly wearing our traditional ao dais during UN day at school in Tashkent

It's funny because only after I returned to Vietnam and I was shocked to see my male friends wearing ao dai during Tet holiday did I realize I had held a misconception all along.

The Ao Dai is all-inclusive: anyone can wear it whether you're a child, teen, or adult and a male or a female. After researching more, I learnt that male ao dais have little tweaks in the designs that make them look slightly different from female ones. The male ai dai is a long, loose-fitting tunic made of silk or rough frabric that buttons down on the left side and has a traditional-looking snug collar. The male tunic is typically worn with loose slacks underneath and falls to the knees. The shape of these costumes are much more angular and linear, and don't hug the body as much as the women's costumes.

Through my research, I have found it interesting how men's traditional clothing are far less preserved and cared about compared to women's. In fact, in 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Vietnam planned the National Costume Project to declare the official costumes for state officials and employees during rituals and diplomatic events. However, so far, there has not been any official document announced on the decision for the Vietnamese national costume.

One reason had to do with gendered clothing: When ao dai (for both men and women) was proposed to become an official national costume, women's ao dai received enthusiastic support, while men's ao dai was entangled in much controversy.

Through images recorded by the French in the time period before 1945, in daily life and festivals, Vietnamese men always wear "five-bodied" ao dai. However, due to the influence of Westernization, gradually Vietnamese men's ao dai faded and lost popularity.

Additionally, men's Ao Dai is associated with many stereotypes and prejudices. According to painter Nguyen Duc Binh: "Performing arts in the late 1950s always had villains such as li chief, the old rich man, sorcerer, fortune-teller, the exploitative slave-owner... wear ao dai. Thus, this image of ao dai being made for bad people is deeply rooted in prejudices of many spectators". As a result, men's Ao Dai became a symbol of the old and backward feudal regime.

Many experts agree that comfort and convenience must be taken into consideration in the restoration of male ao dai. Nguyen Duc Binh further claimed that Ao Dai needs to be modified in a way that preserves its traditional charm as well as adapt to the modern lifestyle.

I believe that restoration of the ao dai for males plays a role in protecting a piece of Vietnamese heritage that is likely to fall into oblivion over time. Like with all other gender stereotypes, dissisipating the prejudices against male ao dai is the first step to take if we want to achieve the main goal of preserving the traditional essense of the ao dai costume as a whole.

References:

Lan, M. (2022). Số phận khác biệt của áo dài nữ và áo dài nam khi đề xuất là quốc phục. [online] Laodong.vn. Available at: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/so-phan-khac-biet-cua-ao-dai-nu-va-ao-dai-nam-khi-de-xuat-la-quoc-phuc-1082280.ldo [Accessed 18 Feb. 2020].

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Nhan Dan Online. (2021). Ao Dai for men in Vietnamese cultural flow. [online] Available at: https://en.nhandan.vn/ao-dai-for-men-in-vietnamese-cultural-flow-post96616.html [Accessed 18 Feb. 2020].

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